How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 709 cases involving bodily motion and position between 2015 and 2025. Fractures account for 29% of these incidents, representing the most common nature of injury you may face.
These injuries frequently target your ankles and back, causing musculoskeletal damage that often requires hospitalization. Because of the physical nature of these incidents, you may face long recovery periods and significant challenges returning to your previous duties.
Hurt by physical strain? Check what benefits you may be owed.
Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
Injuries in this category are primarily driven by twisting, reaching, and bending, which account for 39% of all reported cases. You may suffer harm when performing routine tasks like reaching for products on pallets or shifting weight on uneven surfaces. These incidents occur when the physical demands of a task exceed your body's capacity, often exacerbated by poor workspace design or inadequate training on safe movement techniques.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Twisting, reaching, bending | 259 |
| 2 | Slip, trip, stumble on same level— without fall | 185 |
| 3 | Bodily position and motion— n.e.c. | 51 |
| 4 | Walking, without other incident | 42 |
| 5 | Standing up, sitting down, laying down | 26 |
| 6 | Bodily position and motion— unspecified | 26 |
| 7 | Multiple types of bodily position and motion | 25 |
| 8 | Running, without other incident | 22 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 20% of these injuries, as the high-paced nature of production lines often forces you into repetitive or awkward physical positions. Transportation and warehousing also see high incident rates, where the constant need to reach, lift, and maneuver materials creates a high risk for sudden musculoskeletal failure or fractures.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these incidents include you suffering fractures or severe strains while performing routine movements like kneeling, standing from a seated position, or reaching for equipment. These reports highlight that even simple, everyday actions can result in hospitalization when your workplace environment does not account for safe physical ergonomics. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you review the specifics of your incident.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | OH | Construction | "An employee developed lower back pain after climbing up fixed ladders to reach a roof, then beginning to route wire into an air handling unit. When the employee knelt to pick up rope, the back pain became severe. The employee was hospitalized, having suffered a sprain to a back muscle." | |
| 2025 | TX | Retail Trade | "An employee was sitting on a rolling stool doing price changes on the sales floor. When he stood up, his right hip popped. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured hip and required surgery." | |
| 2025 | RI | Retail Trade | "An employee strained his back after reaching for product on a pallet. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | CA | Arts & Entertainment | "An employee was walking on a trail in a national park and stepped onto an angled and flat slab of granite when her ankle rolled and her weight shifted, but she did not fall. She was hospitalized with a fractured tibia and fibula and a dislocated ankle." | |
| 2025 | IL | Administrative Services | "An employee jumped up on the concrete floor to retrieve an empty 5-gallon bucket from on top of a storage cabinet. When he landed, his right femur fractured." | |
| 2025 | MO | Wholesale Trade | "An employee tore both quadriceps tendons while stepping down from a garage to a driveway. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee was reaching to hook her harness into a lanyard and began to experience abdominal pain. The employee sustained an umbilical hernia." | |
| 2025 | NJ | Manufacturing | "An employee was stepping down from stairs to a concrete floor and her left ankle buckled, resulting in a fracture that required surgery. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | MA | Manufacturing | "An employee was entering an area while carrying a tray containing 20 pounds of product. A plastic curtain came into contact with the employee's shoulder; the employee suffered a herniated disc while dislodging the curtain." | |
| 2025 | NY | Health Care | "An employee was bending down when he suffered an abdominal strain and was hospitalized." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.